20th century

This design, a Prussian one, started in 1848 as a 50mm wide box buckle, later reduced (in 1895) to a 45mm wide one and was replaced in 1915 by a pressed steel example with a field grey finish. It was worn by all arms except cavalry, who wore a plain open frame buckle.

This standard buckle is the 45 mm width variety, which in 1896 replaced the earlier 50 mm width variety of 1848. It would have been worn on a russet brown leather belt at the beginning of WW1, which soon changed to black leather during the course of the war. The same thing happened with the jackboot.

This little buckle (4cm diameter) was the German equivalent of the midshipman's buckle in the Royal Navy and fulfilled a similar function, namely to hang the dirk from a belt, but in this case a dark blue silk one. As with virtually all of these, there is no maker's mark. This is the second pattern, with the W superimposed on the anchor.

This has got its original leather tag, designed to keep the ammunition pouch in place on the belt, and is stamped 'OEL' to the reverse, which may stand for 'Offenberg - Engels & Co, Ludenscheid'. The size of the lettering (larger than normal) may indicate post-war ownership by this factory for use on a display board or as a sample.

This relatively uncommon die-struck steel example has a blue-grey finish to the front, suggesting possible navy use, with a field-grey finish to the reverse. A nickel version of this buckle (for parade and walking out) is occasionally found with a field-grey finish.

It was worn from about 1927 to the early years of WW2, when it was replaced by the 1936 model of the Third Reich, although they did go on making them after 1936 as I have seen one with the leather Wiederhalt stamped 1938.

The double horse motif could refer to Hamburg or Brunswick, as there is a Party day badge for Hamburg with a very similar double horse motif, while Brunswick also used the horse as a central motif on its coat of arms. These are rare on account of the strong probability that the bulk of them were scrapped for their metal content during WW2.